Manchester United are increasingly uncertain they will find a buyer willing to meet their £150million asking price for Paul Pogba after spending the majority of the season on the sidelines.
It means the France international could be forced to sit it out at Old Trafford unless the club’s hierarchy lower to their valuation a year after pricing him out of a move to Real Madrid.
No one came close to coming up with a suitable offer last summer, with Real’s bid of cash plus James Rodriguez dismissed out of hand.
His marketability has hardly been improved after making just five Premier League starts this term due to ankle and foot injuries.
And the situation could be further complicated by the fall-out from the coronavirus and the potential cost of millions of pounds to clubs around Europe as a result of games being postponed and the possibility of the remainder of the season being played behind closed doors or cancelled altogether.
It seems certain United will have to lower their expectations – but they would be loath to countenance any deal that saw them make a loss on their £89m record signing.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has raised the prospect in recent weeks of the 27-year-old still establishing himself a key part of his rebuild.
The Norwegian alluded to a ‘nice’ conversation with Pogba as he nears a return from an ankle operation.
“Paul's our player and he's got a year plus an option (on his contract) so you can expect Paul to be here,” he said.
But with Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Donny van de Beek all on Solskjaer’s radar in the summer, there are signs United are planning for the possibility of life without Pogba.
Despite that, Old Trafford sources have indicated they are prepared to open negotiations on a new contract as Pogba enters the final year of his deal, which also has the option of a further 12 months.
But the France international’s agent Mino Raiola did little quell the uncertainty over his client’s future last week when telling Marca: "I definitely want to take a great player to Real Madrid, and I will try to do so this summer.
"It would be a source of pride for me and my players because Real Madrid are a great club.”
